Confreres Visit Archbishop Paul K. Bakyenga of Mbarara Archdiocese

MBARARA,
Uganda - On 16th October, 2018 the confreres working
in East Africa who are undergoing a workshop on Montfortian Leadership Style in
Mbarara Community made a courtesy visit to Archbishop Paul K. Bakyenga. The
purpose of the visit was to introduce the Assistant General responsible for
Africa and Madagascar, Fr. Arnold Suhardi, SMM to the archbishop.

The archbishop was pleased
with the visit and expressed gratitude for the active presence of the Montfort
Missionaries in his archdiocese.

“All along I have been asking
for the presence of the Montfort Missionaries in my diocese. We still ask for
the Montfortians to have a Marian Shrine in promoting the devotion to Our
Mother Mary in the archdiocese and at the national level,” The archbishop made
the request to Fr. Arnold, SMM as he was sharing memorable experiences of his
encounters with confreres in Rome.

The archbishop added that the
archdiocese is desperately looking for Montfortians and collaborators who can
render professional services such as teaching and administration at University
of St. Joseph, Mbarara. The archbishop who is 74 years old pleaded for more
active participation of the Montfort Missionaries in pastoral activities of the
archdiocese citing Kabuyanda parish and Mbarara community as not enough.

Fr. Arnold, SMM thanked the
archbishop for his continuous support and pastoral care to the confreres
present in the archdiocese. He then gave him A History of the Company of Mary book as a gift.

The archbishop shared long
memories of the confreres who worked with him in the diocese including Fr. Lambertus Terstroet, SMM, Fr. Bernardus Faas, SMM,
Fr. Andrianus van der Hulst, SMM and Fr. Charlie Beirne, SMM. He also talked of
confreres he met in Rome at the General House during his visits including Fr.
Arnold Suhardi, SMM (present at the visit), Fr. Luiz Augusto Stefani, SMM
(current Superior General) and Fr. Santino Brembilla, SMM.

Bishop Paul K. Bakyenga took
canonical possession of the seat of Mbarara diocese on the 23rd of
November,1991 after the retirement of Bishop John Baptist Kakubi. When the
diocese of Mbarara was elevated to an Archdiocese on January 2, 1999, Bishop
Paul K. Bakyenga was installed Archbishop of Mbarara on July 11, 1999. The foundation of the Montfort Missionaries in
Uganda began in 1973 when Fr. Lambertus Terstroet, SMM of the Dutch Province
was sent to be a professor at a diocesan seminary in Kampala.